Will You Wait For Me?
by Whistler Nights
Summary: Finn, Rachel, and Kurt have graduated from high school. Kurt and Rachel have left for college in New York leaving Finn and Blaine behind. Based on Season 3 hints and spoilers.


**Will You Wait For Me?**

**A New Story**

(**Disclaimer:** I do not own Glee or any of the characters.)

(**Caution:** Possible Season 3 Spoilers Ahead.)

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**June 2012- **High School graduation has come and gone. Rachel and Kurt made good on their plans to attend college in New City. Both of them have said goodbye to Lima and have left Finn and Blaine behind.

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Two weeks, four days, nine hours. That's how long it had been since Rachel's dads, Burt, Carole, Blaine, and himself had said good bye to Rachel and Kurt at the airport. Finn was still having a hard time believing that the little brunette that meant so much to him was gone. New York was less than five hundred miles away, but to Finn it might as well have been five million.

It had been a little over a year since he and Rachel had reconciled after their loss in New York at Nationals. Finn thought that it was ironic that Jesse St. James had given up Rachel for Nationals while he had given up Nationals for Rachel. Who knew if that Superman of kisses had cost them the championship, but to him it was worth the sacrifice.

Finn had hoped to rekindle their relationship and start where they had been at Christmas time the year before, but that never really happened.

He knew that Rachel loved him, but she seemed to have fallen out of being madly IN love with him. They had spent their entire senior year together, but it never felt the same. Rachel would tell him that they were making the most of their last year together. She and Kurt were leaving for New York as soon as they graduated and Blaine would be joining them when he graduated a year later. True to their words, Rachel and Kurt left almost as soon as the ink on their diplomas was dry. Before they graduated, Rachel tried to break it off with Finn, but he refused. Rachel had told him that she loved him, but New York and Broadway were her first love.

He reminder her that the curtain does fall, the lights dim, the audience leaves, and all that is left is an empty stage. She didn't have to come home to an empty apartment in such a large city.

After a lot of arguing, Finn had managed to talk her into trying a long distance relationship instead.

Finn had barely graduated from McKinley the month before, and was now working for his step father full time at Burt's Tire and Lube. He worked in the grease pit Monday through Friday putting on new tires and changing oil. On Saturday, Burt let him run the front of the store and handle the business end of the shop. Finn had already been there long enough to know that this wasn't what he wanted to be doing for the rest of his life.

Sundays were the days that he missed Rachel the most. They had talked on the phone or Skype, or text, but it wasn't the same. He had wanted to spend the summer with Rachel, but she had decided to attend the summer session at NYU to get a jump on her classes. She and Kurt had been able to sub-let an apartment from another NYU student who had just graduated.

This Sunday morning Finn slept late, and when he awoke it was from a dream about Rachel. In his dream they were snuggled up in bed, naked and exhausted from a long night of love making. When he was fully awake, he realized that he was snuggled up with his pillow instead. "Damn," he said to himself before getting out of bed.

After a shower, shave, and some clean clothes, Finn found his way downstairs where Carole and Burt were reading the Sunday paper.

"There's coffee and muffins in the kitchen. Burt and I have already finished, but we saved some for you," Carole said looking up from her paper.

"Thanks Mom," Finn said clearly in a bad mood.

Finn grabbed a couple of muffins and a hot cup of coffee before he joined Carole and Burt in the living room.

"It certainly is weird without Kurt here isn't it, but at least we still have you," Carole commented to Finn as she shuffled her newspaper.

"Don't rub it in," Finn grumbled. "If I could've gone to New York with them, you know that I'd be there in a New York skinny minute."

"I'm sorry son; I didn't mean it that way," Carole smiled slightly trying to comfort her son. "I meant that Burt and I miss Kurt, but we're glad that we still have you here with us. Are you sure that we can't talk you into going to the local community college this fall? Burt says that he'll cut back on your hours."

Looking up from his coffee, Finn answered "I've been thinking about it. I figure that my only options are to go to the community college and pull my grades up so I can transfer to a four year school. Or I could join the army like Dad. Or I could become a 'lifer' down at Burt's. Maybe I could become a long haul truck driver and end up on the ice roads in Canada. I saw an ad for a truck driving school on a match book cover down at the diner."

"Finn Hudson, the only way that you'll join the army is over my dead body!" Carole scolded. "Don't you watch the news? There's a war going on in Afghanistan, and I'm not losing you over there the way I lost Chris. One Hudson man is enough; I won't stand by and lose you too."

"Carole, calm down," Burt tried to calm his wife. "Finn is old enough to join the military if he that's what he wants to do. He knows how you feel about it. What I want to know is what he's doing playing with matches down at the diner?"

"Have you started smoking?" Burt asked Finn directly. "You know that I won't allow you to smoke at the shop or here at home."

"No sir," Finn protested. "I gave up the idea of smoking when Mom dragged me into the morgue at the hospital to see an autopsied cigarette smoker. His nasty black lungs were enough to convince me."

Burt paused for a moment before he looked at Carole. "You took him to see a dead body? Where you working as a nurse at the hospital then? You believe in tough love don't you?" Burt asked Carole.

"When you're raising a teenage boy by yourself, you do what you have to do. You know that. I wish you could've seen Finn's face when they uncovered that body. He turned white as a ghost before he passed out," Carole laughed to herself.

"Well it worked," Finn protested trying to hide his embarrassment. "If you remember I was only like thirteen at the time."

"I'm sorry," Carole apologized again. "I can tell that you're in a bad mood. What's got you so down this morning?"

"Mom, you know what it is. I just miss Rachel so much. I had wanted to spend the summer with her, but she left early for summer classes. I'm kind of lost or left behind here in Lima. Rachel and Kurt have both gone off to fulfill their dreams, and I'm still here. It's like our senior year was the long good bye building up to this emptiness."

"What about Puck and Brittany? Didn't you tell me that they didn't graduate, and they have to do their senior year over?" Carole asked.

"Yeah, they're still here, but I'm not in love them. I'm in love with Rachel, but she seems to have chosen her career over me," Finn remarked sadly.

"Finn you know if Rachel had given up on her dreams and stayed here, she would have eventually resented you for it," Carole said trying to reassure her son.

"She could have had her dreams and me too, but I couldn't convince her of that. I spent our entire senior year trying to make her realize that, but she's so stubborn," Finn said biting his lip.

"What exactly did she say?" Carole asked her son.

"Something about we had a good run while it lasted, but she was moving to New York and never coming back to Lima again. She wanted me to find someone else. She said that I would be a fish out of water in New York, and she didn't want to do that to me. That's what she said. Mom, I love her. She's the one for me. I would follow her to the moon."

"Does she feel the same way about you?" Carole asked.

"I know that she does, but she said that we were making the most of our last year together. She said that I'd feel like a caged animal in the city. How does she know that? I'd move to New York for her, but she won't let me."

"Finn, what would you do in New York?" Burt asked concerned.

"I don't know," Finn answered. "I could get a job or something. I could live with Rachel and Kurt and work during the day."

"A job doing what?" Carole asked seriously. "Jobs are hard enough to find around here. Son, I wouldn't hurt your feelings for the world, but let's get realistic. Rachel loves you, but she didn't want you spend the next four years waiting for her. That's why she told you to find someone else."

"Mom, it's not that easy. I feel like half of me is missing and it's in New York with her."

"I know," Carole said softly to her son. "Half of me died in that forsaken desert half a world away, but I did learn to love again."

"I don't want to learn to love again, because I love Rachel. She's just not here," Finn said grimly.

"Son, Burt interrupted. "I think community college is a good place to start. You do what I know you're capable of here in Lima, and you can transfer any where you want to go in two years. I know that seems like a life time, but it's not. Not if you two are truly meant to be together. Blaine and Kurt are separated too."

"Blaine has to finish his senior year, and then he'll be leaving for New York too. Kurt will only be one year ahead of him, and they eventually will be together. Rachel makes 'us' sound like there's no hope."

"Mom, Burt, I'm sorry for dumping my bad mood on you guys. Thanks for listening. I just feel like a caged animal here in Lima while she's so far away, and she expects me to move on without her."

"Son, why don't you go up to your room and have a long talk with Rachel on your web cams? I know that it's not the same, but it's a lot closer than snail mail," Carole offered. "Then maybe you can round up Puck, Blaine, and Sam, we can have a cook out in the back yard this evening."

"Thanks Mom, I think I'll do that. Rachel should be up by now; New York is only one hour ahead of us."

Within a few minutes Finn was staring at Rachel's beautiful face staring back at him on his computer screen.

"Good morning, Beautiful. Did I wake you? I had the most awesome dream about us this morning," Finn smiled wickedly.

"Did we have any clothes on in this dream of yours Mr. Hudson?" Rachel asked suspiciously.

"No, we didn't," Finn blushed. "How did you know?"

"I think I had the same dream about you," Rachel confessed. I think I've had the same dream every night since I've been here. We were snuggled up in bed together."

"That's the same dream that I had," Finn admitted. "Rachel I love you so much. I just wish that you would've let me come with you and Kurt to New York."

"And I do love you too, but our lives have taken such different paths."

"Paths that can be worked back together if we'll wait for each other. I've decided to start at the community college this fall and pull my grades up. When I graduate in two years, I'll have an associate degree. Then I can transfer and be with you if you're interested."

"Finn, could you really be happy in this concrete jungle? This city never sleeps. You're a country boy at heart," Rachel asked.

"I could be happy any where that you are," Finn smiled. "All I know is that I'm miserable here without you. Just ask Mom and Burt."

"I know, Kurt told me that Burt said that you're sulking around when he can't keep you busy," Rachel smiled at the screen.

"Is Kurt a spy now?" Finn asked.

"Just a little, I've been worried about you, you know," Rachel confessed

"Well I can't condemn Kurt. I ask him about you every time that we talk. He says that you have a picture of the two of us on your night stand. So I know that you haven't given up on 'us' completely."

"Finn, I just didn't want you to waste four years of your life waiting for me, and I'm afraid that city life isn't for you. I want you to be happy. That's why I tried to break up with you before I left."

"Rach, I want to be with you. I don't care if you become the Queen of Sheba or a car hop at a burger joint. I'll be happy where ever you are. Even if it means that I'll stay in the background and hold your purse while you accept your Tony Award. Just as long as you come home to me at the end of the day."

"I've got to admit it, I was wrong to push you away. I've missed you. I just didn't think that it was right to keep you hanging. Being here without you has made me realize that I need you too," Rachel confessed.

"Then you'll wait for me?" Finn asked hopefully.

"Only if you wait for me," Rachel smiled back at the computer screen.

"I'll wait as long as it takes," Finn said as he fist pumped the air. "I just want to see you so badly. The Fourth of July is coming up. Do you think that you might make it to Lima to see your dads?"

"No, the Fourth is on a Wednesday so Kurt and I are staying in town. We thought that we would take in the fireworks that they have at the Statue of Liberty and do some New York touristy stuff. I'll probably have homework and piled up laundry to do too."

"I wish that I could make it to New York to see you, but my truck won't make the trip. I can't afford air fare, and Burt is having a Big Red, White, and Blue Blow-Out Tire Sale that week so I'll have to be here. Burt has been so good to me that I hate to let him down."

After an hour on the web cam with Rachel, Finn bounced down the stairs a lot happier than he had been earlier in the day.

"Mom, Rachel finally admitted that she misses me as much as I miss her! She said something about if you love someone you'll set them free, and they'll come back to you. What ever that means, it sounded good." Finn smiled widely. "I've decided to take you two up on your offer and go to the community college this fall. I can pull my grades up and transfer in two years."

"Burt and I are proud of you for deciding to go to the community college and pull your grades up. An associate degree will look better on your resume than just a high school diploma," Carole said hugging her son.

That afternoon Sam, Puck and Blaine made it over for some touch football and burgers in the back yard. No one said it but everyone felt sorry for Puck. Having to repeat his senior year had seriously taken most of the bad ass out of him. Both Sam and Blaine were a year younger and were rising seniors so they would still be in Glee together along with Puck, Brittany and a lot of newbies.

As the sun was setting, Puck and Sam left together while Blaine hung around to catch up with Finn and his folks. It was after dark when Blaine left, but Carole saw the Burt, Finn, and Blaine fist bumping over something before Blaine left.

The Fourth of July was on a Wednesday, and Rachel and Kurt didn't have classes that day. They were trying to sleep in when someone wouldn't stop ringing their doorbell. Kurt got up prepared to slug someone when he opened the door to find Blaine standing there.

"Surprise!" Blaine shouted. "Finn and I hope that you two would like some Fourth of July company, because we're here for a visit!"

"Oh my, I can't believe it's you!" Kurt gushed as he hugged Blaine tightly. How did you ever get here?"

"Finn and I drove all night. Burt let us drive your Navigator in return for waxing it and a full tank of gas when we get back. Finn's parking your baby now."

"My baby," Kurt swallowed hard as he ran to the window to look down to the street below. As he opened the window, he saw his prize Navigator being ticketed.

"No, no," Kurt yelled out the window before he turned and ran for the stairs in his flowing bathrobe. Racing down the stairs he passed Finn on his way up.

"Finn Hudson, this is New York City. You can't park on the street in front of our building."

"It's nice to see you too," Finn answered back. "You can park on the street in Lima, Ohio."

"Well, we're not in Kansas any more!" Kurt yelled back to his step brother. His voice echoed up the staircase as he raced frantically down the steps.

"We didn't drive through Kansas to get here. Just all the way across Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York State," Finn yelled back, but he doubted that Kurt heard him.

When Finn reached the apartment, Rachel jumped into his arms and proceeded to smother him with a long over due 'Superman with a cape' kiss.

"Guys, I'd ask you to come over here to the window and see something hilarious, but you look kinda of busy," Blaine said to the kissing couple before he returned his attention to the window.

Down on the street, Kurt was standing between his baby and a determined meter maid in his colorful bathrobe and slippers. He was jumping up and down trying to explain everything before the meter maid wrote out the parking ticket. Defeated, Kurt then turned and looked up at the window and shouted, "Finn Hudson, I'm going to kill you!"

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The End.


End file.
